Wake Me Up 1.0 for iOS – Eyelid Detector and Microsleep Warning Alarm

Pfaeffikon, Switzerland – Power App today is pleased to introduce Wake Me Up 1.0 for iOS, its new app that continuously scans the user’s face and sounds an alarm if their eyelids close for 3 seconds or longer. Incorporating the latest technology in face localization and facial feature extraction, an indicator light turns from red to green when the rear camera of the iDevice is properly aligned, and another indicator turns green when the open eyes are detected. Ideal for preventing accidents due to microsleeps, Wake Me Up includes a detection sensitivity control and a special setting for low light situations.

According to Wikipedia, “A microsleep is an episode of sleep which may last for a fraction of a second or up to thirty seconds. Often, it is the result of sleep deprivation, mental fatigue, depression, sleep apnea, hypoxia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. For the sleep-deprived, microsleeping can occur at any time, typically without substantial warning. Microsleeps (or microsleep episodes) become extremely dangerous when they occur in situations which demand constant alertness, such as driving a motor vehicle or working with heavy machinery. People who experience microsleeps usually remain unaware of them, instead believing themselves to have been awake the whole time, or to have temporarily lost focus.”

The Wake Me Up control panel displays a red/green LED when face detection is complete, a red/green LED when open eyes detection is complete, a low light switch, and a video monitor window that displays the user’s face. The app’s advanced technology works for all people, regardless of age, skin tone, eye color, or eye shape. The app first distinguishes the face from everything else in the foreground and background of the video frame. Second, the app performs eye localization, locating the outlines and contours of the pair of eyes on the face. Third, Wake Me Up observes normal eye blinking and extrapolates a model of those conditions necessary for the app to warn, “eyes are closed.”

“Microsleeps can be very dangerous in certain situations, like driving vehicles or operating machinery, and it is generally a sign that the body is lacking sleep,” commented Christian Schaffner of Power App. “Sometimes – especially when under the pressure of deadlines or when in a hurry – individuals ignore the signals and continue the task, often relying on coffee and energy drinks. Ignoring the body’s desire for sleep is unhealthy, as concentration continues to decline. At a certain point, the body takes what it needs, and it falls asleep for just a couple of seconds, or up to a minute or two. While this may not be dangerous under normal circumstances, it becomes very dangerous while driving a vehicle or operating machinery. Even when the dangers are not life threatening, it can create unnecessary emergencies – who doesn’t remember the instances where a decimal point has been entered incorrectly, causing stocks to fall or transferring huge sums to the wrong recipient. Wake Me Up for iOS is the solution.”

Based in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland, Power App AG is an independent company founded in 2010 by Christian Schaffner. Power App’s main focus is developing powerful, versatile applications for the Mac and iOS platforms. Copyright (C)2013 Power App AG. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, iPhone, iPod, and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.